The OregonianBicyclists ride through a morning rain towards downtown on their way to cross the Hawthorne Bridge.Before I was old enough to ride a bike, my Grandpa John let me tag along in the Central Washington apple orchards where he labored.

In
summer’s tall grass, he’d warn, “Son, if you see or hear a rattlesnake,
don’t give it your toe to bite.”

Yep, it’s OK to stop and walk away
from something that’s bound to bring you nothing but trouble.

But
here I am, about to offer up my big toe to one of Trafficland’s biggest
rattlesnakes: The debate over funding Portland’s bicycle projects.

Unhappy
that the City Council channeled $20 million in sewer-building savings
into new bike boulevards, Vivian Williams vented to me last week. “I’m
not a rider, but love PDX’s bike-friendly culture,” she e-mailed. “I do
not love the fact that no registration burden is placed on bike riders.”

Drivers must register their cars. “Bikers,” she said, “should be
required to do the same to support the expansion of safer bike lanes.”

Like
clockwork: A bike project makes headlines and people start insisting
that bikes should be “registered” like cars to help pay the bill.

Once,
Minnesota mandated that every bike in the state be registered -- much
like a failed proposal that bombed in the 2009 Oregon Legislature. It
eventually pulled the plug.

Cops seem to hate the idea as much as
cyclists. Recently, the Medford City Council, at the police department’s
request, repealed its bike-registration ordinance because it was
determined to be “unenforceable.”

When someone demands that
bicyclists “pay their own way,” I can only assume they’re unaware of two
basic truths of the road: Most cyclists also drive and -- this is
important -- getting around by automobile is one of society’s
most-subsidized activities.

No road, bridge or highway ramp gets
built in Oregon without help from federal funds. Of the $293 million
budgeted for Portland road projects through 2013, for example, only 7
percent, or about $20 million, will come from state gas tax revenue,
vehicle registration fees and local parking fines. Federal grants will
cover 39 percent, or $114.8 million.

Personally, mandatory bike
registration make as little sense as licensing sneakers to pay for
sidewalks. With our ongoing worries about traffic, the environment and
obesity, why introduce another barrier to biking.?

Imagine: A dad
wants to take his kids out on a Saturday bike ride, but realizes the
family’s bicycles aren’t registered. Chances are, the bikes will stay in
the garage.